Snow melter



March 21, 1967 .J. E. DEVLIN ETAL SNOW MELTER 4 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 15, 1963 JAMES E DEE/LII! ALOEFHCO d. ERAFUTO DOM/MC ERAMO HARRY L". O'CONNOR INVENTORS.

March 21, 1967 J DEVUN ETAL 3,3U9,798

SNOW MELTER Filed Sept. 15, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 k r' InIl 'lllIlflpllllllltnlltfl" JAMES E. DEVLIN ALDERICO J. ERA/W0 DOMlIV/C ERAMO HARRY V. O'CONNOR INVENTORS.

March 21, 1967 DEVLIN ETAL 3,399,798

SNOW MELTER Filed Sept. 13, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 r JAMES E. DEVLIN w ALDERICO J. ERAMO DOMINIC ERAMO HARRY V. O'CQNNUF? INVENTORS'.

M 1957 J. E. DEVLIN ETAL SNOW MELTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 15

JAMES E. DEVLIN ALDERICO u. ERA/W0 DOMINIC ERAMO HARRY v. O'CONNOR INVENTORS.

United States Patent Ofiice 3.3%,798 Patented Mar. 21, 1967 3,309,798 SNDW MELTER James E. Devlin and Alderico J. Eramo, Worcester, and Dominic Eramo and Harry V. OConnor, Milibury, Mass., assignors to Doc Corporation, Millbury, Mass,

a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Sept. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 308,762 2 Claims. (Cl. 37-12) This invention relates to a snow melter and, more particularly, to apparatus arranged to remove snow from the streets in the wintertime and to convert it to water for disposal.

It has been recognized for many years that the logical way to remove snow from streets and highways is by convetting it into water; for that reason, many devices have been evolved which melt snow for disposal. These devices have varied from those which are self-loading to those into which snow is placed by auxiliary apparatus working from piles of snow which have been so arranged by snowplows or the like. None of these devices has had any considerable commercial success, mainly because of the difliculty in maintaining continuous operation under heavy load. These prior art apparatus tend to clog, choke, or become inoperative when subjected to the introduction of very large amounts of snow or snow which is full of ice. Furthermore, they tend to break down in very cold weather when the operating parts become frozen. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.

It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a snow melter which is capable of removing snow and ice directly from a street or highway without the use of auxiliary equipment and converting it to water for disposal.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a snow melter which is not rendered inoperative by freezing of operating parts in cold weather.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a snow melter which cannot become choked or inoperative due to over-loading.

It is another object of the instant invention to provide a snow melter having self-loading apparatus wherein the said apparatus is not likely to be injured by engagement with obstacles.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a snow melter which is relatively simple and rugged in construction, which can be manufactured inexpensively by the use of readily obtainable materials and with unskilled labor, and which is capable of a long life of useful service with a minimum of maintenance.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a self-loading snow melter which is capable of use with only one operator and which requires no additional equipment to bring about complete removal of snow and ice from streets.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a snow melter which is extremely efiicient in operation and which makes effective use of the heating fuel to melt a large amount of snow per unit of fuel fired.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a snow melter in which the disposal of melted snow in the form of water can take in a plurality of ways.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a snow melter in which at will the snow may be removed from the street or highway and thrown a considerable distance to the side of the road rather than be subjected to melting.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a snow melter consisting of a number of separate components which may be mounted on a conventional truck chassis without major modifications thereof.

With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.

The character of the invention, however, may be best understood by reference to one of its structural forms as illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a snow melter embodying the principles of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the snow melter,

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a front portion of the invention,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a part of the front portion of the snow melter,

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the rearward por' tion of the apparatus,

FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view of the invention taken on the line VI-VI of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the invention taken on the line VIIVII of FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a portion of the invention taken on the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 5,

FIG. 9 is a somewhat schematic diagram of the electrical arrangement used in the apparatus,

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the front portion of the invention taken on the line X-X of FIG. 12,

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the invention taken on the line XIXI of FIG. 12, and

FIG. 12 is a horizontal sectional view of the invention taken on the line XIIXII of FIG. 11.

Referring first to FIG. 1, wherein are best shown the general features of the invention, the snow melter, indicated generally by the reference numeral 16, is shown as consisting of a loading apparatus 11 and a melting apparatus 12 mounted on a truck chassis 13. The truck chassis is provided with a frame 14 at the front end of which is located a cab 15, an engine 16, and front wheels 17. At the rear of the frame 14 are mounted the rear wheels 18. A duct 19 extends from the loading apparatus 11 (located at the front of the frame 14) rearwardly to the upper forward portion of the melting apparatus 12.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the loading apparatus 11 has a frame 21 which is solidly connected to the frame 14 of the truck chassis. The load ing apparatus is provided with a fan-shaped horizontal scoop 22 having angularly-arranged side walls 23 and 24. Located rearwardly of the scoop is a break-up rotor 25 mounted on a horizontal transverse axis and a fan 26 mounted on a longitudinal horizontal axis, both of these being driven by a separate internal combustion engine 27 mounted on the frame 21. The fan 26 is provided with a circular housing 28 and the duct 19 extends tangentially away from this housing rearwardly to the point of its connection to the melting apparatus 12.

Referring now to FIG. 3, which is a side view of the loading apparatus 11, it can be seen that the scoop 22 is pivotally mounted at the front of the frame 21 for movement about a transverse horizontal shaft 29. The pivotal position can be adjusted by means of the hydraulic cylinders 31 and 32 provided with oil from the truck chassis hydraulic system and controlled from the cab 15. This view also shows the transverse horizontal shaft 33 on which the break-up rotor 25 is mounted. It also shows the type of abutment 34 extending upwardly from the scoop 22 to which the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder 32 is attached. The break-up rotor 25 consists of a number of arms which are mounted on the shaft 33, these arms being L-shaped with one leg of the L attached to the rotor on the other leg directed toward the centerline of the apparatus depending on which side of the centerline a particular arm is located. The fan 26 consists of a circular disk-like rotor on the forward face of which are attached radial vanes. These vanes extendaxially and the axial dimension increases as one moves outwardly of the axis of rotation. In other words, the vanes are larger toward the outside of the fan than they are toward the center or shaft on which it is mounted.

In FIG. 4 it can be seen that the scoop 22 consists of a movable plate and a fixed plate 36. An abutment 37 extends downwardly from the movable plate 35 and a similar abutment 38 extends downwardly from the fixed plate 36 at a rearward portion thereof. A large coil spring 37 under compression is mounted between the two abutments and biases the movable plate 35 forwardly. Mounted on the fixed plate 36 is a skid 40 which is pivotally mounted by means of a pivot pin 41 at its forward end, the rearward end being free to rest on the ground.

Referring to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, which show the features of the melting apparatus 11, it can be seen that the apparatus is provided with a housing 42 formed of sheet metal and having a generally box-like configuration. The housing has a bottom wall 43, side walls 44 and 45, a front wall 46, a rear wall 47, and a top wall 48. In addition, the housing is provided with a number of transverse partitions 49, 51, 52, 53, and 54. These partitions divide the housing into a number of chambers. An engine room is located between the front wall 46 and the partition 49. An initial melting chamber 56 is located between the partition 49 and the partition 51. A main melting chamber 57 is located between the partitions 51 and 52. A refuse chamber 58 is located between the partitions 52 and 53. A combustion chamber 59 is located between the partitions 53 and 54, while a burner chamber 61 is located between the partition 54 and the rear wall 47. Generally speaking, the main melting chamber 57 and the combustion chamber 59 are quite large, while the initial melting chamber 56 and the refuse chamber 58 are quite narrow; the engine room 55 and the burner chamber 61 are of intermediate size.

The duct 19 is connected to the top of the initial melting chamber 56 by means of a manifold 62, the manifold having three passages 63, 64, and 65, these passages terminating in curved baffles 66, 67, and 68, respectively, which direct the snow in a downward direction. Extending through the initial melting chamber 56 and the main melting chamber 57 are three large perforated tubes 69, 71, and 72 associated with the passages 63, 64, and 65, respectively. These tubes as they pass through the main melting chamber 57 are completely enclosed and are provided with a large number of perforations. However, in the portion which lies between the partitions 49 and 51 in the initial melting chamber 56, the upper portion of the tube is removed leaving, therefore, an upwardly-directed semi-circular bottom section into which the snow is directed by the bafiles 66, 67, and 68. Extending through the tubes 69, 71, and 72 are three conveyor screws 73, 74, and 75, having shafts 76, 77, and 78, respectively. These shafts extend through the partition 49 into the upper part of the engine room 55 where they are driven from a gear reduction unit 79 which, in turn, is driven by a belt 81 from an internal combustion engine 82 mounted on the fioor of the engine room.

Also mounted on the floor of the engine room 55 is a feed water pump 83 whose drive shaft is connected to the drive shaft of the engine 82 and is driven thereby. The partitions 51 and 52 are perforated and, therefore, the body 84 of water is free to seek its own level in the three chambers 56, 57, and 58. A pipe 85 extends through the partition 49 near the bottom wall into the melting chamber 56 and is connected at its other end to the inlet of the pump 83. To the outlet of the pump 83 is connected a pipe 86 which extends through the partitions 49, 51, 52, and 53 into the combustion chamber 59 where it is attached to a transverse header 87. Extending from this transverse header is a series of boiler tubes 88 which are bent back and forth throughout the boiler and substantially fill the upper portion of the combustion chamber 59. A number of horizontal bafiles 136 may be staggered throughout the height of the combustion chamber 59 to provide for a sinuous fiow of the products of combustion over the boiler tubes 88 in the well-known manner. All of the boiler tubes are eventually connected to another transverse header 89 extending across the top of the combustion chamber 59. Extending from the header 89 are a number of tubes 91 which extend forward through the partitions 53, 52, and 51 and are connected to the sides of the tubes 69, 71, and 72 within the initial melting chamber 56; at these points the water flows directly from the tubes 91 into the open portions of the tubes 69, 71, and 72 which lie in that chamber. There are two of these tubes provided for each of the large perforated tubes, so that there are six in all. In addition, extending from the header 89 are three longitudinal branch headers 92, 93, and 94 which are capped at their forward ends and which are provided with branch pipes 95. These branch pipes extend downwardly around the perforated tubes 69, 71, and 72 and eventually are connected for discharge into these tubes at opposite sides, as is evident in FIG. 7. In addition, each of these tubes is provided with a number of perforations on the portion of its surface which is directed toward its respective tube 69, 71, or 72 so that jets of water are directed over the entire upper surface of the perforated tubes.

Mounted in the burner room 61 is a series of oil burners 96 whose guns extend through the partition 54 into the combustion chamber 59 and which are supplied with oil from a tank 97 mounted at the rear of the apparatus. The refuse chamber 58 is provided with an access door 98 to permit the removal of accumulated trash. The bottom of the main melting chamber 57 is provided with several water outlets. First of all, it is provided with an outlet valve 99 permitting complete drainage of the chamber and, of course, at the same time, drainage of the water from the refuse chamber 58 and the initial melting chamber 56. In addition, the main melting chamber 57 is provided with a stand pipe 101 whose lower end is connected to discharge through a valve 102. In addition,

- the main melting chamber is connected to a small pump 103 which is connected through a universal coupling 104 to a drive shaft 105 extending backwardly from the main engine 16 of the truck, this being the conventional socalled power take-off.

Referring to FIG. 8 and to FIG. 5 also, it can be seen that the duct 19 is provided with a discharge opening 106 which is normally kept closed by a door 107. This door is mounted on a substantially vertical hinge 108 at the rearward edge of the opening 106. The door may, on occasion, occupy the position shown in dotted lines in which material passing along the duct is thrown outwardly through the opening 106. This motion takes place by actuation of an external handle 109 which operates on the hinge 108 to turn the door. Suitable sealing and latching means is used normally to keep the door 107 and its position over the discharge opening 106, but these details are not part of the present invention.

As is evident in FIG. 9, the engine 82 is connected on one side to the feed water pump 83 with its inlet pipe 85 and its outlet pipe 86. The other end of the engine is connected through a pulley-and-belt arrangement to an electric generator 111 mounted in the engine room 55. The engine 82 is also connected, of course, through the gear reduction means 79 to the screws 76, 77, and 78. The output of the generator is presented to two power lines 112 and 113 which serve to drive the burner motor 114 (see FIG. 5) and to provide for the ignition electrodes 115 associated with the burner 96. A temperaturemeasuring element 116 is mounted in the main melting chamber 57 and is connected by lines 117 and 118 to the.

b thermostatic control 119. The output control operates on the coil 121 of an ignition relay 122 and also on the coil 123 of a motor relay 124, the energization of the coils 121 and 123 connecting the lines 112 and 113 to the ignition electrodes 115 and the motor 114.

FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 show the manner in which the scoop 22 is constructed and the manner in which it is capable of cushioning the effect of contact with obstacles encountered as it moves along the street or highway. First of all, the fixed plate 3% is hinged to the frame 21 along the axis of the shaft 29. The movable plate 35 on which are mounted the side walls 23 and 24 consists of an upper portion 125 and a lower portion 126 joined by three vertical pins 127, 1-28, and 129. These pins lie in teardrop-shaped apertures 131, 132, and 133, respectively, extending through the fixed plate 36. To assist in the understanding of the invention, the upper plate 125 is shown in dotted lines in FIG. 12. In FIG. can be seen the manner in which the spring 39 extends between the abutments 37 and 33 and in FIG. 12 it can be seen that the springs are inclined inwardly and rearwardly, their line of action are close to the pins 127 and 129. The location of the two skids 441 is also shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 11 shows the manner in which the skid is hinged on a bridge element 134 which is welded on the bottom of the fixed plate 36 and whichbridges te lower portion 126 of the movable plate and permits the lower portion to slide back and forth within the limits of the aperture 132. Although the skid 39 is free to pivot about the pivot pin 41, its upward movement is limited by the adjustable screw stop 135 extending downwardly from the bridge 134- at the rear of the skid 39.

The operation of the snow melter will now be readily understood in view of the above description. First of all, the entire melter moves along over the street and highway driven by the engine 16 operating on the rear Wheels 18, the front wheels 17 being used for steering. The operator remains in the cab where all the controls are located. As the melter moves along, the scoop 22 lies close to the surface of the street or highway and progresses through snow, whether it be lying in a small layer or whether it be in a pile. The snow is moved rearwardly in the scoop by the side walls 23 and 24 and engages the breakup rotor 25 which is being driven through its shaft 33 by the auxiliary engine 27 mounted on the frame 21. This breaks up any ice or snow accumulations and feeds relatively small particles rearwardly into the fan 26. The fan is provided with a circular rotor and, in the usual way, is provided with forwardly-extending radial vanes whose radial extent increases as one progresses from the axis to the periphery. These vanes pick up the snow and ice and centrifugal force causes it to move around the outside of the generally cylindrical housing in which the fan is located. The fan is rotated at relatively high speed by means of the motor 27. This means that the snow and ice is thrown with a relatively high velocity tangentially of the housing 28 in the duct 19 and moves rearwardly up over the cab 15 toward the melting apparatus 12 at the rear of the apparatus.

If the apparatus is being used in the country where there is no need to waste fuel by melting the snow, it is possible by operating the handle 199 at the upper portion of the duct to cause the door 107 to occupy the dotted line position (see FIG. 8). This causes the snow which is moving at a relatively high velocity to be thrown laterally of the apparatus into the woods or fields beside the road.

Assuming, however, that the snow being removed is in a city or an area where it is not desirable to throw the snow to the side of the road, the door is in its normal position and the snow moves into the manifold 62 and is distributed evenly between the three passages 63, 64, and 65. It is thrown downwardly in these passages by the baflles 66, 67, 68 and falls into the open portion of the tubes 69, 71, and 72 into which is being projected a considerable quantity of hot water from the pipes 91. The screws 73, 74, and 75, being rotated by the engine 82, move the snow and ice rearwardly in the tubes. As the snow and ice is melted, it and any water from other sources flows out of the perforations in the tube into either the initial melting chamber 56 or the main melting chamber 57. Some of it, of course, also falls out of the rearward end of the tube into the refuse chamber 58. As the snow is moved longitudinally through the tube by the conveyor screws, water is being sprayed on the upper surface of the tubes through the branch tubes 95, the water originating in the branch headers 93. Furthermore, any water that passes through the pipes 95 and does not spray on the outside of the perforated tubes through the small perforations in the branch tubes 95 leaves the end of the tubes and flows directly into the tubes to melt snow and to flow out through the lower perforations in the tube. Any snow and ice that is not melted by the time it reaches the refuse chamber 58 falls down into that chamber along with any refuse or non-meltable materials, such as stones, papers, metal objects, and so forth. These objects which Will not melt are removed from time to time from the refuse chamber through the access door 98. The refuse chamber, incidentally, is filled with water in a manner similar to the melting chambers 56 and 57 and, of course, shares the common partition 53 with the combustion chamber 59. This wall is very warm at all times so that the refuse chamber is subject to considerable heat and is capable of melting that snow and ice that have evaded melting in the prior parts of the apparatus.

The water from the chambers 56, 57, and 58 flows through the pipe into the feed water pump 83. This pump pumps it through the pipe 85 into the header 87; it flows upwardly through the boiler tubes 88 to the upper header 89, in the meanwhile being subjected to the hot products of combustion. These products of combustion, incidentally, leave the combustion chamber through a stack 136. Water, of course, is forced through the boiler by the feed water pump 83 in a once-through, forced-flow method of operation and, after entering the header 89, is distributed either to the pipes 91 (where it ends up at the input end or" the perforated tubes) or to the headers 93 where it is sprayed on the outer surface of the tubes because of distribution to the branch pipes 95 or flows from the ends of the pipes 95 directly into the tubes 69, 71, and 72. Because the boiler discharges in effect into atmosphere it is a zero pressure boiler which makes for a very safe arrangement, does not require any particular type of engineer to operate it under the state boiler codes, and is relatively maintenance-free.

Water can be drawn from the body 84- of water in the bottoms of the chambers 56, 57, and 58. The water can be drawn off directly through the valve 99 possibly through a hose to a nearby sewer or to an auxiliary watercarrying tank. The valve 99 would be used when it is desired to clean out the entire chamber. In the ordinary course of events, however, overflow would be taken care of through the stand pipe 191 and the valve 102, so that there always remains a substantial body of hot water in the bottoms of the chambers for a recirculation and use in the boiler for the melting operation. Then, if it is desired to convey the water a great distance or to spray it into fields or areas to the sides with considerable force, it is possible to use the pump 103.

The manner in which the loading apparatus compensates for encounter with obstacles is shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12. The movable plate 35 (consisting of the upper portion and the lower portion 126) are movable back and forth. When an obstacle is struck they move rearwardly relative to the fixed plate 36, this being permitted because of the pins 127, 128, and 129 residing in the apertures 131, 132, and 133, respectively. The rearward motion of the movable plate and, of course, the side walls 23 and 24 is resisted by the springs 39', which are inclined at a substantial angle to the longitudinal line of the apparatus. The angular adjustment of the entire scoop about the horizontal axis is brought about by use of the cylinders 31 and 32, and they are lowered so that a considerable portion of the weight of the scoop is carried by the skids 40. Now, if the obstacle encountered by the scoop were directly adhead of the center pin 128, the movable plate 35 will move rearwardly an equal amount on either side. As a practical matter, however, the obstacle encountered is most likely to be on one side or the other, so that the movable plate has a tendency to move on the bias. It is capable of rotation about the side pin opposite the side on which the obstacle is encountered. It is also capable of a sideways sliding motion. In any case, the teardop shape of the apertures 131, 132, and 133 permit a certain degree of sideways camming motion along their surfaces and the angularity of the springs 39 assures that the spring receives in the majority of cases a direct thrust rather than a sideways thrust which would tend to buckle the spring.

It is contemplated that the water can be discharged in several ways. It could be allowed to accumulate in the tank; there is sufiicient capacity for quite an accumulation of snow, perhaps 2 or 3 city blocks with 6 inches of snow. It can accumulate until the vehicle reaches a storm sewer, in which case the short hose on the discharge valve 102 would permit the water to be discharged into the sewer. In some places, it will be simply possible to discharge the water into the gutter and let it flow by gravity into a drain, It is contemplated that the control thermostatic circuits including the temperature-measuring device 116 and the thermostatic control 119 connected with the burners would maintain the water in the main tank and in the heat exchange elements boiler tubes 88 at about 160 and the water in the main storage tank somewhere in the order of F. when it is discharged from the bottom. Normal snow-clearing temperatures would be sufficient to permit the water to run a considerable distance to a drain without freezing and glazing the gutter. Another possibility, of course, would be to have an auxiliary trailer tank at the rear to receive the water. The discharge pump 103 which is driven 011 of the main truck motor through the power take-off shaft would permit the flow of water considerable distances in heights and presumably this pump connection would be used in connection with such an auxiliary trailer.

It should be noted that, when snow accumulates very rapidly, the chambers 56 and 58 may fill; this causes an increase in pressure in the tubes 69, 71, and 72 so that snow is extruded more rapidly through the apertures in the tubes. In the preferred embodiment, the apertures in the branch tubes are formed to provide a vaporfog spray that brings about rapid melting. It will be understood that the main storage chamber 57 is large enough to carry all the water which will be formed in moving from one storm drain to another.

It is contemplated that the apparatus will be used not only to remove accumulations of snow after a storm, but also may be used to gather and melt snow as the storm progresses, so that at no time is there a substantial accumulation. It is contemplated that the rotor 25 in FIG- URE 2 or some other portion of the loading apparatus forward of the fan 26 may be magnetized or provided with magnets to catch tramp iron, such as a tire chain, that might present a problem to the mechanism downstream. The walls 49, 51, 52, and 54 which define the various chambers may in the preferred embodiment be reinforced with horizontal steel rods to prevent buckling under pressure. In addition, the stack may be provided with a rotary exhaust fan which is electrically connected in parallel with the gun fan and which provides for induced draft.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the 8 form and construction of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof. It is not, however, desired t-o confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A snow melter, comprising (a) a vehicle body having driven wheels, (b) a loading apparatus at the front of the vehicle, (0) a melting apparatus at the rear of the vehicle, and (d) a duct leading from the loading apparatus to the melting apparatus,

the loading apparatus including a scoop for receiving the snow and a high-speed fan locating rearwardly of the scoop, the fan receiving the snow and introducing it into the duct at high velocity, the scoop being mounted on a transverse shaft for adjustment of the forward edge relative to the road surface, the scoop consisting of a rearward fixed plate and a forward movable plate, the movable plate being capable of sliding guided motion over the upper surface of the fixed plate, spring means being provided for resisting rearward movement of the movable plate relative to the fixed plate, the movable plate consisting of an upper and a lower portion held in spaced parallel relationship by a series of vertical pins, the fixed plate residing between the said upper and lower portions, each pin extending through a tear-drop-shaped aperture in the fixed plate, the cusps of the apertures residing at the longitudinal ends with the pins in the forward cusps. 2. A snow handling apparatus, comprising (a) a vehicle body having driven wheels, (b) a loading apparatus at the front of the vehicle, and (c) a duct leading from the loading apparatus to the rearward portion of the vehicle, the loading apparatus including a scoop for receiving the snow and a highspeed fan located rearwardly of the scoop, the fan receiving the snow and introducing it into the duct at high velocity, the duct being provided with an opening and a door which is hingedly mounted for movement from a normal position closing the opening to a by-pass position in which it extends across the duct and projects the snow outwardly of the duct through the opening, the scoop consisting of a movable plate having an upper and a lower portion held in spaced parallel relationship by a series of vertical pins, and a fixed plate which resides between the said upper and lower portions, each pin extending through a tear-drop-shaped aperture in the fixed plate, the cusps of the apertures residing at the longitudinal ends with the pins in the forward cusps.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 451,138 4/1891 Small et al. 37-23 1,577,322 3/1926 Laing 3743 1,587,449 6/1926 Wandscheer 3743 2,116,351 5/1938 Jones et a1 3742 2,144,316 1/1939 Klauer 3743 2,576,829 11/ 1951 Fiduccia 126-3435 2,587,719 3/1952 Fratini 37-45 2,605,760 8/1952 Cayas 126-3435 2,614,473 10/1952 Yacoby.

2,815,590 12/1957 Fiacco 37- 43 3,011,273 12/1961 Stumpf 37-45 3,066,428 12/1962 Raiti 37-12 3,106,792 10/1963 Park 37-12 3,241,253 3/1966 McKee 37 12 ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

75 F. B. HENRY, R. L. HOLLISTER, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A SNOW MELTER, COMPRISING (A) A VEHICLE BODY HAVING DRIVEN WHEELS, (B) A LOADING APPARATUS AT THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, (C) A MELTING APPARATUS AT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, AND (D) A DUCT LEADING FROM THE LOADING APPARATUS TO THE MELTING APPARATUS, THE LOADING APPARATUS INCLUDING A SCOOP FOR RECEIVING THE SNOW AND A HIGH-SPEED FAN LOCATING REARWARDLY OF THE SCOOP, THE FAN RECEIVING THE SNOW AND INTRODUCING IT INTO THE DUCT AT HIGH VELOCITY, THE SCOOP BEING MOUNTED ON A TRANSVERSE SHAFT FOR ADJUSTMENT OF THE FORWARD EDGE RELATIVE TO THE ROAD SURFACE, THE SCOOP CONSISTING OF A REARWARD FIXED PLATE AND A FORWARD MOVABLE PLATE, THE MOVABLE PLATE BEING CAPABLE OF SLIDING GUIDED MOTION OVER THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE FIXED PLATE, SPRING MEANS BEING PROVIDED FOR RESISTING REARWARD MOVEMENT OF THE MOVABLE PLATE RELATIVE TO THE FIXED PLATE, THE MOVABLE PLATE CONSISTING OF AN UPPER AND A LOWER PORTION HELD IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP BY A SERIES OF VERTICAL PINS, THE FIXED PLATE RESIDING BETWEEN THE SAID UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS, EACH PIN EXTENDING THROUGH A TEAR-DROP-SHAPED APERTURE IN THE FIXED PLATE, THE CUSPS OF THE APERTURES RESIDING AT THE LONGITUDINAL ENDS WITH THE PINS IN THE FORWARD CUSPS. 